Harold
Bluetooth was the son of Gorm the Old and Queen Thyra. The year of his
birth is unknown, but it is assumed that he died in the autumn of 980
in Jomsborg when hit by an arrow from Palnatoke, who supported Sweyn,
his rebellious son. King Harold was probably buried in the Trinity
Church in Roskilde, which he himself had begun, and which was a
forerunner of today’s Roskilde Cathedral.

The
German historian Adam of Bremen mentions that Harold Bluetooth was
married to Queen Gunhild.

A
runic stone situated at Sønder Vissing Church south of Silkeborg
describes a woman, who calls herself Tove as “Mistivoj’s daughter,
wife of Harold the Good, son of Gorm, so Harold must have been married
twice.

The
larger Jelling stone is the largest and most magnificent runic stone
in Scandinavia. It is also called “The Birth Certificate of
Denmark.” It has many Christian symbols, among them a Christ figure
and runic letters. Their son Harold Bluetooth put it up around 965 in
memory of Gorm the Old and Thyra Danebod.

.King Harold wanted
to be remembered for some specific achievements, therefore he erected
a runic stone intended to last forever. It has but for the loss of a
few centimetres. Its height is 2,43 metres, and it weighs about 10
tons. It has 3 sides.

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The
big animal and the snake

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.King
Harold used the very best counsellors and craftsmen for the job. The
carving on the stone was carried out by two people: the decorations
came first, and then the runes were struck by a runic craftsman. It
took about a full year to complete the entire job. Some peeling from
the stone may have been caused by the heat from the church fires that
consumed the three wooden churches over the years.

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The oldest Nordic
picture of Christ

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Here
you see a man in a coat with his arms wide spread and a halo like a
holy cross around his head: Christ crucified without a cross. The two
pictorial sides are framed by intertwining connecting strings and
ropes indicating that the pictures form a unity. The large stone is
left almost in its original position. In 1981, however, the stone
needed straightening up and some digging was carried out below the
stone. It turned out that the stone was situated partly on top of some
old graves. This indicates that the stone must have been moved about
one metre to the west. This probably happened when in 1586 ”Caspar
Markedaner” dug up the stone. It may have been slanting already
then, and was partly covered with soil. Excavations in 1981 along the
southern wall of the church showed that the surface of the churchyard
had risen by one metre since the construction of the church, so
perhaps Caspar Markedaner’s ”digging” makes sense. He actually
put the stone straight and by doing so he may have moved it a little.

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Harold
Bluetooth brings Denmark closer to Europe

The
figure of Christ on the larger stone proves that the new faith had
finally come to Denmark. The church had kept sending its own people to
the Danish kings since King Willibrord visited King Agantyr in the
720s, but not until Harold became King in 958 did the church see any
results from their very patient long-lasting efforts.

Poppa

Poppa,
the stranger, who was a cleric in the church is said to have made
himself noticed when propagating the new faith. Harold Bluetooth asked
him a very tough question,” Will you carry hot iron for your
faith?” Poppa consented and carried hot iron in his bare hands and
thus passed the test as his hands were unscathed. Harold was convinced
of Poppa’s faith and immediately wanted to be christened (around
965).

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The
golden plaque is from around the year 1200 and comes from
Tamdrup church.

While
Harold Bluetooth was King, he built Episcopal residences in
Aarhus, Ribe, and Slesvig – and probably also in Odense and
Lund.

Harold
Bluetooth was a very active king. He won the whole of Denmark
and Norway and large enterprises were commenced during his
reign; the Jelling stone and the Jelling mounds are just a few
examples.

Harald Blåtand is christened
by Poppo

.

Around
968 Dannevirke was fortified and a lot was built during these years.
The 800 metre long bridge near Ravning and the four “trelle”
castles were built for military reasons.

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The
Viking Bridge in Ravning

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Even
though there are several large important monuments in Jelling, it is
not an established fact that Harold chose this place as his political
headquarters. Maybe he gave up Jelling because of its important
heathen past. He started all over again in Roskilde where he built the
Trinity church and where he was buried. The successor of this church
is Roskilde Cathedral where the members of the Royal Danish Family
have been buried for centuries.

Another
reason for wanting to move the centre of the kingdom might have been
that Jelling was too vulnerable a place due to its proximity to the
rest of Europe. An island (Zealand) would offer better protection for
the royal estate.

Harold
Bluetooth died around 986. Sweyn II Estridsson says in 1070 – 85
years after Harold Bluetooth’s death that Sweyn Forkbeard,
Harold’s son and Sweyn II Estridsson’s grandfather, committed
parricide.

The
writer Adam of Bremen tells about Harold Gormsson: In Harold’s last
days the Danish people rose against the old King and they were led by
his son Sweyn. Harold found shelter in Jomsborg, which Adam of Bremen
describes as the Venders’ most important trading post. Here he died
of his wounds in the place that he himself had built.

The
army brought his body to Denmark and buried him in the Trinity Church,
which he had founded in Roskilde. Sweyn was later taken prisoner by
people from Jomsborg and had to be redeemed for a considerable amount
of money.